Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC)

Glowing like a cosmic blue bottle opener is the Shanghai World Financial Center. This skyscraper was a long time coming. The foundation stones were laid in 1997, and construction was halted as a result of the Asian financial crisis. It was finally completed 11 years later in 2008, and it became the tallest skyscraper in Shanghai at the time (now ranked at 2nd tallest in Shanghai). The bulk of the building, of course, houses offices. But the basement and first three floors are devoted to restaurants and retail. Occupying the 79th to 93rd floors is the luxurious Park Hyatt. Stretching across the trapezoidal aperture up top is an observation deck where you can look down on every other skyscraper in the city except the Shanghai Center Tower.